Originally announced as aNintendo 64DDtitle, development ofPokémon Snapwas moved to the Nintendo 64 due to the 64DD’s poor sales. The gameplay is similar to other first-person games, viewing from the perspective of protagonist Todd Snap as he moves automatically on a rail. The objective of the game is to take pictures of Pokémon, using items such as apples and “pester balls” to achieve better shots. After each round, players are judged based on the quality of their photos. The Virtual Console version features the ability to send pictures taken in the game to theWii Message Boardand send them to friends, whereas the Nintendo 64 cartridge could be taken to eitherBlockbusterorLawsonstores in North America and Japan to have pictures from the game printed on stickers.

Its release was promoted heavily by Nintendo, including being featured in more than 86,000 hotels, and a contest to send the winner toAustralia. By the end of 1999,Pokémon Snapsold 1.5 million copies, and was a strong rental title in 1999 after its release. It was met with a mostly positive reception by critics, described as “addictive” byIGNandBoys’ Life, and “innovative” byElectric Playground. It has also been compared to other video games with photography, such asAfrika,Dead Rising, andBeyond Good & Evil. It has also been used as a notable example of video games with photography.